[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289338,4477,"Chapter 40: Study Well","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>The following days’ lessons were Tang History, Theory of Heaven and Earth, Theory of Qi and Fortune, and Theory of Techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang History needs no elaboration; Theory of Heaven and Earth and Theory of Qi and Fortune are both cultivation courses. Theory of Heaven and Earth covers the movement of celestial timing and the geography of mountains and rivers, as well as how to adapt to environmental changes during cultivation to more efficiently absorb the essence of heaven and earth and accelerate cultivation speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first lesson of Theory of Heaven and Earth was held on the mountain outside Qisi Hall. After the teacher explained the principles, students were left to find their own optimal cultivation spots. There was no fixed answer—the optimal spot varied for each student, as their foundational Zizhi  differed and their future Dao paths diverged, so each had their own ideal location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan discovered that the higher he climbed, the faster his cultivation progressed, so he ultimately chose the mountain peak. But he arrived too late—the summit was already occupied by Bao Yun and Xiang Xiaoyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Bao Yun rushed over, took his hand, and said warmly, “Brother Wei has come too—let’s cultivate together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand was cold, smooth, and boneless; Wei Yuan felt deeply uncomfortable holding it. He wanted to let go, but Bao Yun gripped his hand tighter. Etiquette told him that forcibly pulling away would be impolite and invite criticism, so he endured it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan walked with her for a while when suddenly Bao Yun stumbled, as if about to fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan hurried to support her, but as he lifted his foot, his entire body suddenly flew upward and tumbled off the peak, rolling down the slope for over ten zhang before stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao Yun sprinted over, helped him up, and anxiously said, “Brother Wei, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself? Oh no, how could you be so careless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan was momentarily unsure whether he had been careless or if something else had caused the fall. Unable to refuse her kindness, he let her help him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bao Yun led Wei Yuan to a flat spot nearby and helped him sit. To his surprise, Wei Yuan found that cultivation here was only slightly slower than at the peak, so he stopped searching. Bao Yun gave him a few more reminders to take care of himself before returning to the summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus ended the first lesson of Theory of Heaven and Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Theory of Qi and Fortune had only emerged in the last three hundred years and was the newest subject. A thousand years ago, those blessed with qi fortune were exceedingly rare, and those who received it often achieved great spiritual power. Whenever such a person appeared, all sects vied to nurture them. If they entered secular courts, they became founding meritorious ministers or pivotal figures in dynastic revival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those blessed with the great fortune of their age were called Sons of Qi Fortune. Whenever one appeared, even the highest celestial sects would join the scramble, triggering countless conspiracies and bloody struggles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over generations, the number of those blessed with qi fortune remained relatively stable—sometimes more, sometimes fewer. But four hundred years ago, the qi fortune of heaven and earth suddenly surged, and those blessed with it appeared in waves, with Sons of Qi Fortune emerging frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the centuries that followed, qi fortune continued to increase, and the number of those blessed with it grew ever larger. Many of them, had they lived a thousand years ago, would have been the sect’s top priority for cultivation—but now they merely received greater attention and slightly more resources from their sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Dao Measurements, those with one zhang of qi fortune were, in the past, unquestionably Sons of Qi Fortune and the light of humanity. But now, in the Tai Chu Palace alone, Wei Yuan’s cohort has six with one zhang of qi fortune; two of them, due to poor roots, haven’t even been placed on the palace’s priority cultivation list. A thousand years ago, even if these two had been complete wastes, the sect would have used countless rare treasures to forcibly elevate them into prodigies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As qi fortune increased, research and cultivation methods targeting it also emerged, and today numerous mature systems for borrowing qi fortune for cultivation exist. Moreover, qi fortune is no longer limited to personal fortune—it has been subdivided into four categories: Great Heaven-and-Earth Fortune, Temporal Fortune, Feng Shui, and Human Fortune, encompassing astrology, feng shui, geomancy, and other disciplines, becoming a vital component of cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The term “Sons of Qi Fortune” refers specifically to those blessed with the great fortune of their age. Great Heaven-and-Earth Fortune is too vast for any human body to bear. Heaven and earth remain unchanged through eternity; whether one or two Sons of Qi Fortune arise, or even the entire rise and fall of humanity, is but a tiny ripple in an endless torrent—its complete extinction would not affect heaven and earth in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As qi fortune increased, its effects no longer matched their former potency, yet the difference between having it and not having it remained fundamental. Thus, powerful clans devoted themselves to developing methods to transfer qi fortune from others onto their own descendants. From then on, possessing qi fortune was no longer purely advantageous: one had to seek opportunities while avoiding detection by aristocratic families, lest one’s fortune become another’s gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As such practices multiplied, people realized that being born into the right family was itself the greatest fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final subject, Theory of Techniques, refers to all methods used during cultivation—not merely spellcraft, but also medicine, artifact forging, elixirs, talismans, shamanism, and poison arts. The Tai Chu Palace, besides its divine Dao teachings, includes the Tian Gong Hall, famed for artifact forging; the Zao Hua Guan, renowned for elixir Chuancheng ; and the Xuan Ming Hall, established on medical Dao. Thus, the course emphasized elixirs and artifacts heavily, while shamanism and poison arts were only briefly introduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Body Casting stage focuses primarily on cultivation, less critical content was placed entirely within Theory of Techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus seven days passed, and the curriculum completed one full cycle; on the eighth and ninth days, they returned to Human History and General Dao Path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, on the ninth day, General Dao Path was taught not by Di Xia Dao Ren, but by Feng Chutang again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Chutang remained smiling, ever amiable, unfazed even when students joked with him. This lesson, he did not follow Di Xia Dao Ren’s progression on ancient times but jumped directly to the boundary between ancient and modern eras—the founding of the Great Tang and the implementation of the Sect-wide Examinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With Di Xia Dao Chang in seclusion, I’ll explain today the origins of the Sect-wide Examinations and why they mark one of the pivotal turning points between ancient and modern cultivation. The impact of the Great Tang’s founding on cultivation will be left for Di Xia Dao Chang to cover later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All students sat up straight, attentive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Feng Chutang said this, the Sect-wide Examinations must hold extraordinary historical significance. Moreover, from the previous two lessons, students had noticed that Feng Chutang’s content was absent from official histories, requiring fragments from countless texts to reconstruct even a rough picture. Yet these reconstructed fragments were precisely the crucial missing links in history—without them, studying history remained superficial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Students from powerful clans, raised with deep family learning, knew many events were omitted from official records—not out of ignorance, but to honor the emperor and the revered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because they understood the reasons, they sensed even more keenly Feng Chutang’s erudition and acuity. Thus, despite his harmless appearance, they listened with rapt attention, fearing they might miss anything. After all, what was taught here could not be found in books, and even their own elders might not be well-versed in history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragon Boat Festival greetings! If you have any spare monthly tickets, please toss a couple to Zhang Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1344,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9e4076383e62398d2993a7319de12dddc9317f50fbdfa30a971add1ca51bbbcb","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-41","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-39",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]